4G4 THE RUIN OF MYSTICAL JERICHO.
be brought to desperate conditions ; and rather than he will have nothing to trust to, he will trust to the broken reed of Egypt ; he will trust to that that will deceive him and hurt him, as the reed of Egypt did the Jews ; rather than they would trust God, and the word brought by the prophets, they would trust Asshur, and Egypt, 2 Kings xviii. 21.
Now the Spirit of God in the Scriptures takes notice of this proneness to false confidence. ' Trust not in uncertain riches. If riches increase, set not your hearts on them,' 1 Timothy vi. 17. And man, when he sets his heart upon false confidence, the issues are more dangerous ; he will come against God ; he doth not only set up these holds that he hath in rebellion against God, but he proclaims, as it were, defiance to God, and his word, and his ordinances, till afterwards God destroy all his false confidence, and bring him to shame.
In 2 Cor. x. 4 there is a notable place to shew what holds there are in the heart of man, that oppose against God and his truth in his word ; holds that Satan keeps in man, and man, joining with Satan the enemy, holds a^^ainst God and his truth : ' The weapons of our warfare,' saith he, * are not carnal, but mighty through God to cast down strongholds.' The holds are within us, and we are so far from preparing ourselves to grace, and to entertain grace when it is ofiered, that naturally we set up holds against God and grace. There must be strong power to overturn all, to lead them into captivity to the obedience of Christ : * To cast down the imaginations, and every high thing, every high thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and to bring in captivity every thought,' 2 Cor. x. 5. So there are three mighty things in every natural man.
(1.) This fahe reasoning and sophistry. There is no man will go to hell without reason. Take the debauchedest wretch that lives, he is mad with some reason, and he will be damned with some reason. ' God is merciful,' ' Christ is come,' and ' others are as bad as I,' and * I hope in time to repent ;' this vile reasoning must be turned out of a man before he can be saved.
(2.) Then there are proud thoughts. What, shall I yield to such a one as he ? I am better than he ; I understand these things as well as he. As that proud cardinal in Germany said, ' I confess these things that Luther finds fault with are naught ; but shall I yield to a base monk ?' {a) So men think, shall I yield to a minister ? The proud rebellious heart of man is lift up in proud thoughts against God.
(3.) And then there he forecasts. If I do thus, this danger will come of it ; I shall provoke such an enemy ; I shall lose such a friend ; I shall endanger myself. Now, when the truth of God comes, down goes all these sophistries and high thoughts, and all these forecasts ; they all lie flat when the Spirit of God comes in the power of the word. But naturally every man hath these ; he builds up some castle against God ; he builds up the walls of Jericho, and trusts in them too. ' Thy wisdom hath caused thee to rebel,' saith God to the king of Babylon, Isa. xlvii. 10. * Let not the wise man trust in his wisdom,' Jer. ix. 23, insinuating that wise men are subject to trust in their wisdom, and the rich man in his riches, and the strong man in his strength ; therefore God commands that they should not do so. ' Thy wisdom hath made thee to rebel.'
Use. Let us take notice of this, and make this use of trial of it, that if, by the power of God's Spirit, we can use all outward means and not trust in them ; that we can trust in God, and not to our strength, then we have somewhat in us above nature ; for naturally every man, before he be in com-
THE EUIN OF MYSTICAL JEKICHO. 405
munion and covenant with God, he hath some earthly false support or other to trust on ; either within him, some policy and wisdom, or without him, some friends or riches, some bulwark or other ; and this sets him against God and against the means of salvation, till God come in effectual calling and overturn all. But this doth but make way to other things, therefore I only touch it.
The second thing is this, that, . Ohs. 2. God first or last overturns all vain confidence in the creature.
The walls of Jericho, down they must ; and whatsoever exalts itself against God, either it shall end in conversion or confusion, because the time must come that God must have all the glory. ' Was there ever any man fierce against God, and prospered ?' Job ix. 4. ' The rage of man turns to the glory of God,' saith the psalmist, Ps. Ixxvi, 10. ' There is neither wisdom nor policy, counsel nor strength, or any earthly thing against the Lord,' as the wise man saith, Prov. xxi. 80. * God will confound all ; he scattered the proud in the imagination of their own hearts,' as the blessed virgin saith, Luke i. 51. And when they had built Babel, to get them a name, they found confusion. There is a notable place in Isa. 1. 11 : 'Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks : walk,' saith God, ' in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This ye shall have at my hand ; ye shall lie down in sorrow.' Men that will walk in the light of their own fire, that will have a wisdom of their own, distinct, nay, contrary ofttimes to God's ; — Well ! go on, walk in the light of your own fire that ye have kindled ; but take this withal with you, ' You shall have this at my hands,' saith God, * ye shall lie down in sorrow.' What became of Haman's plots ? What became of Aliithophel's policy ? • They all turned upon their own heads. Although men build up castles to secure themselves in their earthly defences and munition, yet God overturns all.